Who's your daddy? Paternity testing reveals promiscuity and multiple paternity in the carnivorous marsupial Dasyurus maculatus (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae)

Female promiscuity is common among mammals but its advantages, particularly for marsupials, remain unclear. Using microsatellite DNA from pouch young of known mothers, we identified the most likely fathers of 25 wild spotted-tailed quolls ( Dasyurus maculatus ) from six litters. We aimed to determine whether young within the same litter had different fathers, and whether breeding success of males was associated with large body mass (consistent with inter-male competition) or scrotal width (consistent with sperm competition). We also explored the possible influence of promiscuity on relatedness within litters. Finally, we used data on paternity and relatedness to make inferences regarding movement and dispersal.
Four litters were sired by more than one male, and three males sired offspring in more than one litter. Known fathers had higher body mass, but not scrotal width, than males of unknown paternity status, suggesting that males may compete for access to females. Sires were less related to dams than expected by chance, and litters with multiple paternity had lower relatedness than litters sired by a single male.  © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2009, 96 , 1–7.     

Adaptations to life in a hypersaline water‐body: Adaptations at the egg and early embryonic stage of Tanytarsus barbitarsis freeman (Diptera,chironomidae)

Oviposition, egg sinking rates, ion excretion in eggs and early embryos, and egg permeability and resistance to desiccation were studied in Tanytarsus barbitarsis a chironomid inhabiting highly saline waters in southern Australia. The aim was to investigate the nature of adaptations displayed by eggs and early embryonic stages of this species to life in hypersaline waters.

Adaptations appear to be of two major sorts: one sort relates to the physiological stress of life in a hypersaline medium, the other to the need to minimize fish predation. The importance of selective forces other than salinity in determining the fauna of salt lakes is highlighted.     

Musculoskeletal anatomy of the Eurasian lynx,Lynx lynx (Carnivora: Felidae) forelimb: Adaptations to capture large prey?

Mammalian carnivores adhere to two different feeding strategies relative to their body masses. Large carnivores prey on animals that are the same size or larger than themselves, whereas small carnivores prey on smaller vertebrates and invertebrates. The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) falls in between these two categories. Lynx descend from larger forms that were probably large prey specialists, but during the Pleistocene became predators of small prey. The modern Eurasian lynx may be an evolutionary reversal toward specializing in large prey again. We hypothesized that the musculoskeletal anatomy of lynx should show traits for catching large prey. To test our hypothesis, we dissected the forelimb muscles of six Eurasian lynx individuals and compared our findings to results published for other felids. We measured the bones and compared their dimensions to the published material. Our material displayed a well‐developed pectoral girdle musculature with some uniquely extensive muscle attachments. The upper arm musculature resembled that of the pantherine felids and probably the extinct sabertooths, and also the muscles responsible for supination and pronation were similar to those in large cats. The muscles controlling the pollex were well‐developed. However, skeletal indices were similar to those of small prey predators. Our findings show that lynx possess the topographic pattern of muscle origin and insertion like in large felids. J. Morphol. 277:753–765, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Metabolic Syndrome and Nephrolithiasis Risk: Should the Medical Management of Nephrolithiasis Include the Treatment of Metabolic Syndrome?

This article reviews the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and nephrolithiasis, as well as the clinical implications for patients with this dual diagnosis. MetS, estimated to affect 25% of adults in the United States, is associated with a fivefold increase in the risk of developing diabetes, a doubling of the risk of acquiring cardiovascular disease, and an increase in overall mortality. Defined as a syndrome, MetS is recognized clinically by numerous constitutive traits, including abdominal obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia (elevated triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), and hyperglycemia. Urologic complications of MetS include a 30% higher risk of nephrolithiasis, with an increased percentage of uric acid nephrolithiasis in the setting of hyperuricemia, hyperuricosuria, low urine pH, and low urinary volume. Current American Urological Association and European Association of Urology guidelines suggest investigating the etiology of nephrolithiasis in affected individuals; however, there is no specific goal of treating MetS as part of the medical management. Weight loss and exercise, the main lifestyle treatments of MetS, counter abdominal obesity and insulin resistance and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events and the development of diabetes. These recommendations may offer a beneficial adjunctive treatment option for nephrolithiasis complicated by MetS. Although definitive therapeutic recommendations must await further studies, it seems both reasonable and justifiable for the urologist, as part of a multidisciplinary team, to recommend these important lifestyle changes to patients with both conditions. These recommendations should accompany the currently accepted management of nephrolithiasis.Key words: Nephrolithiasis, Metabolic syndrome, Uric acid nephrolithiasisMetabolic syndrome (MetS), as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program and the Adult Treatment Panel III in 2001 (and updated in 2005), represents a growing medical problem affecting more than 22% of US adults.^1–4 It is associated with an almost fivefold increase in the risk of developing diabetes and a doubling of the risk of acquiring cardiovascular disease.⁵ MetS is a clinical disorder defined by the presence of at least three of the following criteria: central obesity (abdominal girth > 102 cm [40 in] men and > 88 cm [35 in] women), low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (< 40 mg/dL in men and < 50 mg/dL in women), hypertriglyceridemia (> 150 mg/dL), hypertension (blood pressure > 130/85 mm Hg), and elevated fasting glucose (> 100 mg/dL).^2,4 The development of MetS appears to result from a complex interaction of genetics, phenotypic visceral fat accumulation (central obesity), insulin resistance, and sedentary behavior.^5,6 Beyond cardiometabolic risks, MetS has a wide range of long-term complications, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, hypogonadism, lipodystrophy, microvascular disease, and chronic renal disease.⁶ An important urologic complication of MetS, not routinely cited, is nephrolithiasis.^6–8Nephrolithiasis continues to be a major cause of morbidity and healthcare spending.⁹ A history of kidney stones is approximately twice as common in individuals with three criteria for MetS and three times as common in those with five criteria for MetS, as compared with those with none.¹⁰ These trends were confirmed in a large-scale, nationwide study of 30,448 Japanese patients with urolithiasis, who demonstrated that MetS was associated with a significantly increased risk of hypercalciuria, hyperuricosuria, hyperoxaluria, and hypocitraturia, independent of age and sex.¹¹ Additionally, patients with a history of nephrolithiasis are significantly more likely to have multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease, premature atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular events.^10,12,13 It is unknown whether this is primarily a reflection of factors associated with nephrolithiasis, such as obesity, hypertension, or glucose intolerance/diabetes, or due to components of MetS, such as insulin resistance.¹⁴ The current American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines on the medical management of kidney stones suggests a need for future research on advising patients to exercise and lose weight, but does not make definitive recommendations on these lifestyle changes.¹⁵     

Metabolic pathways in the periphery and brain: Contribution to mental disorders?

The association between mental disorders and diabetes has a long history. Recent large-scale, well-controlled epidemiological studies confirmed a link between diabetes and psychiatric illnesses. The scope of this review is to summarize our current understanding of this relationship from a molecular perspective. We first discuss the potential contribution of diabetes-associated metabolic impairments to the etiology of mental conditions. Then, we focus on possible shared molecular risk factors and mechanisms. Simple comorbidity, shared susceptibility loci, and common pathophysiological processes in diabetes and mental illnesses have changed our traditional way of thinking about mental illness. We conclude that schizophrenia and affective disorders are not limited to an imbalance in dopaminergic and serotoninergic neurotransmission in the brain. They are also systemic disorders that can be considered, to some extent, as metabolic disorders.     

Growing larger with domestication: a matter of physiology,morphology or allocation?

• Domestication might affect plant size. We investigated whether herbaceous crops are larger than their wild progenitors, and the traits that influence size variation.
• We grew six crop plants and their wild progenitors under common garden conditions. We measured the aboveground biomass gain by individual plants during the vegetative stage. We then tested whether photosynthesis rate, biomass allocation to leaves, leaf size and specific leaf area (SLA) accounted for variations in whole‐plant photosynthesis, and ultimately in aboveground biomass.
• Despite variations among crops, domestication generally increased the aboveground biomass (average effect +1.38, Cohen's d effect size). Domesticated plants invested less in leaves and more in stems than their wild progenitors. Photosynthesis rates remained similar after domestication. Variations in whole‐plant C gains could not be explained by changes in leaf photosynthesis. Leaves were larger after domestication, which provided the main contribution to increases in leaf area per plant and plant‐level C gain, and ultimately to larger aboveground biomass.
• In general, cultivated plants have become larger since domestication. In our six crops, this occurred despite lower investment in leaves, comparable leaf‐level photosynthesis and similar biomass costs of leaf area (i.e. SLA) than their wild progenitors. Increased leaf size was the main driver of increases in aboveground size. Thus, we suggest that large seeds, which are also typical of crops, might produce individuals with larger organs (i.e. leaves) via cascading effects throughout ontogeny. Larger leaves would then scale into larger whole plants, which might partly explain the increases in size that accompanied domestication.

     

The Behavioural Responses by Larvae of the Water Mite Unionicola Foili (Acari: Unionicolidae) to Gravity, Light and Host Chemicals: Adaptations for Transmission Success?

The life cycle of the water mite Unionicola foili includes larvae that parasitize chironomid dipterans, and nymphs and adults that occur in association with the freshwater mussel Utterbackia imbecillis. The georesponses and photoresponses of larval U. foili in the presence of chemical substances from chironomids and mussels both prior to (= pre-chironomid larvae) and after their parasitism with chironomids (= post-chironomid larvae) were examined in the laboratory. The responses of larval U. foili to light and gravity changed during larval ontogeny and varied depending on the chemistry of the medium in which they were examined. Pre-chironomid larvae preferentially responded to water modified by chironomids given that negative phototaxis and positive georesponses were elicited only in the presence of water that had been modified by these hosts. Post-chironomid larvae exhibited host-induced negative phototaxis only in the presence of mussel-modified water. Post-chironomid larvae were consistently geopositive when exposed to water modified by mussels or chironomids. The pattern of responses exhibited by larval U. foili to light and gravity are interpreted as adaptations for locating potential hosts in the field.     

Metabolic scaling: consensus or controversy?

Background  

The relationship between body mass (M) and standard metabolic rate (B) among living organisms remains controversial, though it is widely accepted that in many cases B is approximately proportional to the three-quarters power of M.     

A‐FABP—A Biomarker Associated With the Metabolic Syndrome and/or an Indicator of Weight Change?

Objective: Adipocyte fatty acid‐binding protein (A‐FABP) is a plasma biomarker recently associated with the metabolic syndrome. The aim of these studies was to investigate changes of A‐FABP during profound weight loss induced by laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB). Methods and Procedures: In study one, 29 severely obese female subjects were examined before and 1 year after surgical treatment. A subgroup of 10 patients was investigated in 3‐month intervals. Metabolic parameters were determined using standard methods, and A‐FABP was detected using a commercially available enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Mean weight loss after 1 year was 24.9 kg (P < 0.001), mainly due to a decrease in fat mass. Metabolic parameters improved substantially. However, serum A‐FABP remained stable. In study two, a subgroup of 10 patients was examined quarterly to determine the time course of A‐FABP changes. Quarterly measurements of serum A‐FABP were significantly higher than baseline levels with the highest A‐FABP value after the first 3 months, where patients had highest weight loss. Discussion: Our results in study one show that A‐FABP serum levels are positively associated with body weight and fat mass. However, 1 year after pronounced weight loss A‐FABP levels remained unchanged. In study two, time course analyses revealed maximum increase of serum A‐FABP in parallel to highest weight loss, which allows to suppose that A‐FABP is not only a biomarker of the metabolic syndrome in the steady state, but also a marker of weight changes in dynamic situations.     

The ventilatory response to incremental exercise: is it one or two breakpoints?

The primary objective of this study was to determine if the ventilatory (&OV0312;E) breakpoint during incremental exercise to fatigue is best represented by a single breakpoint (BP1), double breakpoint (BP2), or an exponential function (EXP) exhibiting no BP. A secondary objective was to determine if visual assessment of the BP was valid and reliable. Subjects (n = 49) were both men (n = 12) and women (n = 37) who identified either running (n = 31) or triathlon (n = 18) as their primary sport. Subjects completed a maximal oxygen test on a motor-driven treadmill according to a modified Bruce protocol. The difference in mean square error (MSE) for BP1 (4.91 ± 3.35 L) was slightly but significantly (p < 0.05) greater than in MSE for BP2 (2.75 ± 1.7 L) for VE. Mean square error for EXP (7.85 ± 5.1 L) was significantly greater (p < 0.05) than BP1 and BP2. Visual assessment of VE on scatterplots produced poor validity, with a mean of 71.7% being misclassified compared to the computer model. Both interevaluator reliability (30.6% agreement) and intraevaluator reliability (59.7% agreement) were low. From the results of this study, it is concluded that (a) VE exhibits a BP2 model rather than BP1 or EXP and (b) visual assessment of BP is both invalid and unreliable.